What happens when the invisible rules that sustain an ecosystem are broken?

A forest is an entangled ecosystem governed by invisible ecological rules that sustain its diversity. Networks of fungi and insects ensure no single species becomes dominant. When forests fragment, this regulation quietly collapses—the trees remain but the system does not.

Built from four years of ecological research at the Kadamane rainforest bordering a tea estate in Karnataka, this installation runs on real field data. Each module embodies a living species: its chemistry expressed through colour, its survival through rhythm, and its death an ecological event. Move between the vibrant interior and the subdued monotony of its edges where the mechanisms that sustain diversity begin to unravel.

Title: Walk into a Fragmented Forest

Medium: Immersive multimedia installation, Acrylic casing, Generative code system, LED floor panels, Red soil, Two-channel spatial audio

Year: 2026

Dates: 18 April – 30 June 2026

Collaborator: Meghna Krishnadas

The exhibition opens with a public programme on 18 April at 5:00 PM, featuring a walkthrough of the installation and conversations with exhibiting artists Shreni Sanghvi and Abhishek Kapahi, Jahnavi Phalkey, Founding Director of Science Gallery Bengaluru and Ecologist Meghna Krishnadas. The programme will also include reflections on the role of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing ecological challenges.

About Artist

Shreni Sanghvi

Shreni is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores memory, impermanence, and ecology. Through installations that weave light, sound, and narrative, she reimagines our relationship with the natural world and fragile futures

Abhishek Kapahi

Abhishek Kapahi is a creative technologist and new media artist whose practice bridges digital and physical worlds. He creates interactive experiences that transform code into poetic encounters, inviting audiences to engage with technology in unexpected ways.

About Ecologiest

Meghna Krishnadas

Meghna Krishnadas is an ecologist investigating the mechanisms that maintain diversity in ecosystems. She previously worked as a physician working for people living in and around forests. Her transition to ecology began with the realisation that biodiversity was being lost at alarming rates. As an activist and scientist, Krishnadas is driven by intellectual curiosity about the complexity of life around us.

About SGB 

Science Gallery Bengaluru (SGB) is India’s only and Asia’s first Science Gallery, a not-for-profit public institution at Sanjaynagar, Bengaluru. SGB was established with the founding support of the Government of Karnataka and academic partners Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and National Centre for Biological Studies (NCBS). Our work for research-based engagement works at the intersection of science, art, and society to engage young adults through Live Exhibitions, Public Engagement Programmes, Mentorship Initiative, and a pioneering Public Lab Complex